1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to digital impositioning apparatus, and specifically to a digital impositioning apparatus for performing digital impositioning in Plate Making/Printing process using digital data output from Prepress process.
2. Related Art Statement
As known, Design process, Prepress process and Plate Making/Printing process are required to complete planning contents ordered by a client as printed matter. Created in Design process is a mechanical designed along the planning contents. Created in Prepress process is a film in which pictures, lines, character strings are arranged based on the mechanical and laid out. In Plate Making/Printing process, impositioning based on the film is performed to make a printing plate, and then printed matter is completed by printing.
In these processes, data processing from Design process to Prepress process has been changed from analog processing to digital processing represented by DTP (Desk Top Publishing) due to the recent widespread use of computer technology and various prepress processing software, allowing rationalization of operations. This rationalization allows designing and editing on the data digitized by DTP processing, and thereby it is possible to output digital mechanical data. In Prepress process, based on the above digital mechanical data, digital operation processing as required such as Prepress process (Trap processing and the like), RIP (Raster Image Processing) and the like after arranging digital data of pictures, lines, and character strings is executed to obtain digital page data, and a film of a prescribed size and color proof are outputted.
On the other hand, in Plate Making/Printing process, the following processing is performed in an analog fashion after receiving the film outputted from Prepress process.
Performed first is impositioning such as joining of the films received from Prepress process (different films are joined so as to be structured on one printing plate) and the like. Next, after superposing the joined films and an unexposed printing plate, exposure processing is performed to expose pictures, lines and the like on the printing plate. Then, the plate after this exposure processing is set in a printer to print on a printing paper.
After the above described operation, printed matter is completed. However, practically, there are cases where ink density of the data on the printing plate for printing (pictures, characters, tints, and the like), weather conditions (temperature, humidity and the like), secular deterioration, quality of printing papers (elasticity and the like), or the like causes fine displacements of positions of each separation (Y, M, C, K and special color) of the printed matter or partial interference between colors (inks). Furthermore, there are cases where changes of total balance in tone of the printed matter, the needs from the client, or prepress mistakes occurs. These factors often perform re-impositioning by another fine adjustment of data positions and tone on the printing plate before the final printed matter completes.
Among re-operations of the above impositioning, fine adjustment of the data positions on the printing plate is called offset adjustment, being performed by re-joining the films. On the other hand, fine adjustment of tone of data on the printing plate is called exposure adjustment, being performed by masking a page data area or a component (pictures, characters and the like in a page) area in a film at the time of re-exposure on the printing plate to partially change exposure time.
As described above, data passing from Prepress process to Plate Making/Printing process still uses a medium, that is, a film (refer to FIG. 22). In this way, one of the reasons why films are still used as a medium is that Prepress process and Plate Making/Printing process are independent in most cases (that is, Prepress process and Plate Making/Printing process are processed by different companies in most cases). Another reason is that use of films can clearly differentiate operations of Prepress process from operations of Plate Making/Printing process, thereby advantageously defining a share of responsibility. Furthermore, in Plate Making/Printing process, it is possible to perform impositioning under bookbinding rules so as to finish one piece of printed matter with correct pagination when folded based on right-open or left-open. Therefore when correction of the printing plate and the like occur, problems can be advantageously solved only in Plate Making/Printing process.
However, it is impossible to achieve reduction in a process between Prepress process and Plate Making/Printing process as long as a film is used as a medium, and also it is impossible to achieve reduction in prepress costs because the inconvenience of film making and film costs always occur.
Therefore, in recent years, a method called CTP (Computer to Plate) is thought as a method, not through the medium of a film between Prepress process and Plate Making/Printing process, of cutting/rationalizing the process therebetween . A conventional processing system using this CTP method is shown in FIG. 23. In the CTP method, impositioning originally included in Plate Making/Printing process is included in Prepress process, and processing up to impositioning is performed in digital operation processing of Prepress process. Then, rasterized data subjected to up to impositioning is screened to directly make a printing plate. This relieves the existence of the medium of the film between Prepress process and Plate Making/Printing process, and thus it is possible to achieve delivery time savings, reduction in prepress costs and the like due to reduction in the processing processes and removal of inconveniences of film making in Prepress process
However, when the above CTP method is used for reduction and rationalization of Prepress process and Plate Making/Printing process, no intermediate medium such as a film exists and impositioning is included in Prepress process. Therefore, in the system using the above CTP method, the following problems arise in reality for a reason such as that a prescribed correcting operation which has been possible only in Plate Making/Printing process has to involve Prepress process and the like.
(1) In a step of digital operation processing in Prepress process, a printer must be specified for use in Plate Making/Prepress process.
This is because a printing plate is directly made from operation data, and thus the operation data must have matched with the printer. Therefore, although a prepress firm has only outputted a film as a final output without necessity to specify a printer, a new problem occurs that the firm has to specify a printer before calculation processing before operation processing.
(2) It is required to provide a reliable proof method.
Like proof when a film is used as a medium (chemical proof using a film and proof by a proof machine after plate making), it is required to establish a digital proof method on digital data.
(3) When correction occurs in Plate Making/Printing process, it is required to return to Prepress process again and re-process from the rasterization.
Since impositioning is included in Prepress process, unlike a case of using a film, correction in a film unit such as that in impositioning in Plate Making/Printing process is impossible.
(4) Moving and color matching in a page unit at the time of printing are impossible.
That is because digital data after rasterization in Prepress process is created not in a page unit but being impositioned.
(5) A stable supply of reprint within a certain period of time is impossible.
In relation to the above (3) and (4), it is impossible to reprint the printing plate in Plate Making/Printing process, and it takes more time than it needs to be.
(6) Dot gain adjustment on the printing plate is impossible.
Since dots are directly exposed on the printing plate in Plate Making/Printing process based on the rasterized digital data in Prepress process, dots cannot be corrected in Plate Making/Printing Process, and disadvantages due to dot gain (situation in which an area of dots of the printing plate does not match an area of ink of printed matter) cannot be prevented.
(7) Responsibility sharing of operations in Prepress process and Plate Making/Printing process cannot be clarified.
Since up to a process just before plate making is performed in Prepress process, Prepress process side also has to deal with problems occurred at Plate Making/Printing process side.
Furthermore, for efficiency of the printing plate, conventionally performed is that works that are convenient in a printing context are joined to be impositioned into one surface of the printing plate (this is called xe2x80x9cjoiningxe2x80x9d). However, such joining operation can be done with films, but not in CTP.
For example, there is a case in which as a printing plate where eight pages of a film are impositioned on one surface, desired to be made is a printing plate in which four pages are frontispieces of a magazine A and the remaining four pages are frontispieces of a magazine B. However, in CTP, impositioning is performed on Prepress process side, and thus it is impossible to make such an efficient printing plate in Plate Making/Printing process, disadvantageously causing problems in terms of efficiency of the-printing plate.
Similarly, when desired to be made is a printing plate in which eight pages of a film are impositioned on one surface in Plate Making/Printing process, conventionally the printing plate can be made once eight pages of the film are collected. However, in CTP, it is impossible to perform such processing even when two pieces of rasterized data for four pages have been sent. This is because (although page data included in the rasterized data at the time is in a state that four pages are impositioned on one surface) page imposition arrangement is different between when impositioning eight pages on one surface and when impositioning four pages on one surface.
On the other hand, offset/exposure adjustment described above is entirely performed by handwork on the film and workers are required to be skilled in techniques and be with experiences. However, even if the workers are skilled in techniques and with experiences, occurrence of adjustment difference cannot be avoided as long as the operation is performed by humans. Therefore, offset/exposure adjustment is sometimes repeated again and again until the final printing plate completes, disadvantageously taking lots of time.
Therefore, as to offset/exposure adjustment, it has been desired to improve printing accuracy and reduce operations in view of operation efficiency.
In order to solve the conventional disadvantages, an object of the present invention is to provide a digital impositioning apparatus capable of digital impositioning in Plate Making/Printing process using digital file output before or after being rasterized instead of film output without putting loads on Prepress process.
The present invention has the following features to achieve the object above.
A first aspect of the present invention is directed to a digital impositioning apparatus for performing impositioning in an electronic data form in Plate Making/Printing process using a rasterized file received from Prepress process,
the rasterized file including:
one or more RIP files created by performing RIP operation without screening to page data created corresponding to each of at least one page; and
arrangement information as to an arrangement position of all or part of the RIP files,
the apparatus comprising:
impositioning means for creating raster data in which the RIP files which the rasterized file has are arranged on one surface under bookbinding rules by rewriting the arrangement information which the rasterized file has; and
screening means for performing screening to the raster data created by the impositioning means.
As described above, in accordance with the first aspect, as a medium received by the impositioning apparatus, not a film in the conventional art but the rasterized file is used that is digital data composed of one or more RIP files and arrangement information. This can structure on Plate Making/Printing process a digital impositioning apparatus for performing impositioning to the RIP file corresponding to each page under bookbinding rules so as to finish one piece of printed matter with correct pagination when folded based on right-open or left-open.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the RIP file has at least dot density data corresponding to each pixel in the page, and
the arrangement information has at least page origin data of an arrangement reference for each data item in the RIP file,
the apparatus further comprising:
means for performing offset adjustment in a unit of the RIP file by determining arrangement of the page origin of the arrangement information relatively to a position of an origin of a reference of a finish frame; and
means for performing exposure adjustment in the unit of the RIP file by changing density of each dot in the RIP file using a correction table.
As described above, in accordance with the second aspect, offset/exposure adjustment is further possible on digital data in Plate Making/Printing process, and workers can reliably and quickly perform fine adjustments by numerical value input or instructions without depending on skills and experiences. This allows labor savings in Plate Making/Printing process as well as improvement in printing accuracy.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the screening means can perform dot gain adjustment.
As described above, in accordance with the third aspect, in the first aspect, it is possible to perform dot gain adjustment to a printing plate, allowing improvement in quality of printed matter.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, when the impositioning means creates the raster data, print additional information required for printing is arranged on the raster data.
As described above, in accordance with the fourth aspect, in the first aspect, it is possible to add the print additional information required for printing such as a register mark, a color patch, an offset rotary press mark, a serial number and the like on the raster data, allowing improvement in operability in Plate Making/Printing process.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, when performing screening to the raster data, the screening means performs screening for proof subjected to color matching.
As described above, in accordance with the fifth aspect, in the first aspect, it is possible to perform color matching processing of matching color between the final printed matter and a proof for proof printing, allowing improvement in operability in Plate Making/Printing process.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, when performing screening to the raster data, the screening means performs adjustment at the time of output to the RIP files for one page composing the raster data.
As described above, in accordance with the sixth aspect, in the first aspect, it is possible to correct the printing plate by color matching and movement of the RIP files for one page composing the raster data in a page unit, allowing a stable supply of a printing plate within a certain period of time.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the screening means can perform dot gain adjustment.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, when the impositioning means creates the raster data, print additional information required for printing is arranged on the raster data.
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, when performing screening to the raster data, the screening means performs screening for proof subjected to color matching.
According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, when performing screening to the raster data, the screening means performs adjustment at the time of output to the RIP files for one page composing the raster data.
As described above, the seventh to tenth aspects give the second aspect the same effects as the effects given by the third to sixth aspects to the first aspect.
An eleventh aspect of the present invention is directed to a digital impositioning apparatus for performing impositioning in an electronic data form in Plate Making/Printing process using a plurality of rasterized files received from Prepress process,
the rasterized file including:
one or more RIP files created by performing RIP operation without screening to page data created corresponding to each of at least one page; and
arrangement information as to an arrangement position of all or part of the RIP files,
the apparatus comprising:
impositioning means for creating raster data in which the RIP files which the plurality of rasterized files have are arranged on one surface under bookbinding rules by rewriting the arrangement information which the plurality of rasterized files have; and
screening means for performing screening to the raster data created by the impositioning means.
As described above, in accordance with the eleventh aspect, as a medium received by the impositioning apparatus, not a film in the conventional art but the plurality of rasterized files are used that are digital data composed of one or more RIP files and arrangement information. This can structure on Plate Making/Printing process a digital impositioning apparatus for performing impositioning to the RIP file corresponding to each page included in the plurality of rasterized files under bookbinding rules so as to finish one piece of printed matter with correct pagination when folded based on right-open or left-open. Thus, it is possible to flexibly cope with joining of printing plates, change of the number of pages to be impositioned at the time of plate making and the like.
According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the eleventh aspect, the RIP file has at least dot density data corresponding to each pixel in the page, and
the arrangement information has at least page origin data of an arrangement reference for each data item in the RIP file,
the apparatus further comprising:
means for performing offset adjustment in a unit of the RIP file by determining arrangement of the page origin of the arrangement information relatively to a position of an origin of a reference of a finish frame; and
means for performing exposure adjustment in the unit of the RIP file by changing density of each dot in the RIP file using a correction table.
As described above, in accordance with the twelfth aspect, offset/exposure adjustment is further possible on digital data in Plate Making/Printing process, and workers can reliably and quickly perform fine adjustments by numerical value input or instructions without depending on skills and experiences. This allows labor savings in Plate Making/Printing process as well as improvement in printing accuracy.
According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the eleventh aspect, the screening means can perform dot gain adjustment.
According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the eleventh aspect, when the impositioning means creates the raster data, print additional information required for printing is arranged on the raster data.
According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in the eleventh aspect, when performing screening to the raster data, the screening means performs screening for proof subjected to color matching.
According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, in the eleventh aspect, when performing screening to the raster data, the screening means performs adjustment at the time of output to the RIP files for one page composing the raster data.
As described above, the thirteenth to sixteenth aspects give the eleventh aspect the same effects as the effects given by the third to sixth aspects to the first aspect.
According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, in the twelfth aspect, the screening means can perform dot gain adjustment.
According to an eighteenth aspect of the present invention, in the twelfth aspect, when the impositioning means creates the raster data, print additional information required for printing is arranged on the raster data.
According to a nineteenth aspect of the present invention, in the twelfth aspect, when performing screening to the raster data, the screening means performs screening for proof subjected to color matching.
According to a twentieth aspect of the present invention, in the twelfth aspect, when performing screening to the raster data, the screening means performs adjustment at the time of output to the RIP files for one page composing the raster data.
As described above, the seventeenth to twentieth aspects give the twelfth aspect the same effects as the effects given by the third to sixth aspects to the first aspect.
A twenty-first aspect of the present invention is directed to a digital impositioning apparatus for performing impositioning in a electronic data form in Plate Making/Printing process using a page description language file received from Prepress process,
the page description language file including:
page description language data created with a page description language corresponding to each of at least one page, having at least dot density data corresponding to each pixel in the page; and
arrangement information as to all or part of the page description language data, having at least page origin data of an arrangement reference for each data item in the page description language data,
the apparatus comprising:
means for performing offset adjustment in a unit of the page description language data by determining arrangement of the page origin of the arrangement information relatively to a position of an origin of a reference of a finish frame; and
means for performing exposure adjustment in the unit of the page description language data by changing density of each dot in the page description language data using a correction table.
As described above, in accordance with the twenty-first aspect, as a medium received by the impositioning apparatus, not a film in the conventional art but a page description language file is used that is digital data composed of page description language data and arrangement information. Therefore, offset/exposure adjustment is further possible on digital data in Plate Making/Printing process, and workers can reliably and quickly perform fine adjustments by numerical value input or instructions without depending on skills and experiences. This allows labor savings in Plate Making/Printing process as well as improvement in printing accuracy.
According to a twenty-second aspect of the present invention, in the twenty-first aspect, the page description language data further has vector data representing a component structured in the page description language data, and
the means for performing exposure adjustment specifies an arbitrary component using the vector data when changing density of each dot in the page description language data using said correction table, thereby allowing exposure adjustment in a component unit in the page description language data.
As described above, in accordance with the twenty-second aspect, the page description language data further has vector data for each component structured in the page description language data. Thus, at the time of exposure adjustment, the above vector data is also specified at the time of density change by the correction table, thereby allowing exposure adjustment not only in a unit of the whole page description language data unit but also by a unit of component which exists therein.
A twenty-third aspect of the present invention is directed to a computer-readable recording medium recording a program to be executed in a computer apparatus, the program being for realizing on the computer apparatus an operating environment including:
for a rasterized file including a RIP file created by performing RIP operation without screening to page data created corresponding to each of at least one page and arrangement information as to an arrangement position of all or part of the RIP file,
an impositioning step for creating raster data in which the RIP file which the rasterized file has is arranged on one surface under bookbinding rules by rewriting the arrangement information which the rasterized file has; and
a screening step for performing screening to the raster data created by the impositioning step.
A twenty-fourth aspect of the present invention is directed to a computer-readable recording medium recording a program to be executed in a computer apparatus, the program being for realizing on the computer apparatus an operating environment including:
for a plurality of rasterized files including one or more RIP files created by performing RIP operation without screening to page data created corresponding to each of at least one page and arrangement information as to an arrangement position of all or part of the RIP files,
an impositioning step for creating raster data in which the RIP files which the plurality of rasterized files have are arranged on one surface under bookbinding rules by rewriting the arrangement information which the plurality of rasterized files have; and
a screening step for performing screening to the raster data created by the impositioning step.
According to a twenty-fifth aspect of the present invention, in the twenty-third aspect, the RIP file has at least dot density data corresponding to each pixel in the page,
the arrangement information has at least page origin data of an arrangement reference for each data item in the RIP file, and
the operating environment further includes the steps of:
performing offset adjustment in a unit of the RIP file by determining arrangement of the page origin of the arrangement information relatively to a position of an origin of a reference of a finish frame; and
performing exposure adjustment in the unit of the RIP file by changing density of each dot in the RIP file using a correction table.
According to a twenty-sixth aspect of the present invention, in the twenty-fourth aspect, the RIP file has at least dot density data corresponding to each pixel in the page,
the arrangement information has at least page origin data of an arrangement reference for each data item in the RIP file, and
the operating environment further includes the steps of:
performing offset adjustment in a unit of the RIP file by determining arrangement of the page origin of the arrangement information relatively to a position of an origin of a reference of a finish frame; and
performing exposure adjustment in the unit of the RIP file by changing density of each dot in the RIP file using a correction table.
A twenty-seventh aspect of the present invention is directed to a computer-readable recording medium recording a program to be executed in a computer apparatus, the program being for realizing on the computer apparatus an operating environment including the steps of:
for a page description language file including page description language data created with a page description language corresponding to each of at least one page, having at least dot density data corresponding to each pixel in the page; and arrangement information as to all or part of the page description data, having at least page origin data of an arrangement reference for each data item in the page description language data,
performing offset adjustment in a unit of the page description language data by determining arrangement of the page origin of the arrangement information relatively to a position of an origin of a reference of a finish frame; and
performing exposure adjustment in the unit of the page description language data by changing density of each dot in the page description language data using a correction table.
According to a twenty-eighth aspect of the present invention, in the twenty-seventh aspect, the page description language data further has vector data representing a component structured in the page description language data, and
the step of performing exposure adjustment specifies an arbitrary component using the vector data when changing density of each dot in the page description language data using said correction table, thereby allowing exposure adjustment in a component unit in the page description language data.
As described above, the twenty-third to twenty-eighth aspects are directed to a computer-readable recording medium recording the program capable of executing the functions of the first, second, eleventh, twelfth, twenty-first and twenty-second aspects on a computer. Execution of the program can realize the same functions as those of the first, second, eleventh, twelfth, twenty-first and twenty-second aspects on a computer.
A twenty-ninth aspect of the present invention is directed to a digital impositioning apparatus for performing impositioning in an electronic data form in Plate Making/Printing process using a rasterized file or a page description language file received from Prepress process,
the rasterized file including:
one or more RIP files created by performing RIP operation to page data created corresponding to each of at least one page, having at least dot density data corresponding to each pixel in the page; and
arrangement information as to all or part of the RIP files, having at least page origin data of an arrangement reference for each data item in the RIP files,
the page description language file including:
page description language data created with a page description language corresponding to each of at least one page, having at least dot density data corresponding to each pixel in the page; and
arrangement information as to all or part of the page description data, having at least page origin data of an arrangement reference for each data item in the page description language data,
the apparatus comprising:
selecting means for inputting both of the rasterized file and the page description language file, and selecting and then outputting either one of the both files;
means for performing offset adjustment in a unit of the RIP file or the page description language data by determining arrangement of the page origin of the arrangement information in the file selected in the selecting means relatively to a position of an origin of a reference of a finish frame; and
means for performing exposure adjustment in the unit of the RIP file or the page description language data by changing density of each dot in the RIP file or the page description language data using a correction table.
According to a thirtieth aspect of the present invention, in the twenty-ninth aspect, the page description language data further has vector data representing a component structured in the page description language data, and
when the selecting means selects the page description language file, the means for performing exposure adjustment specifies an arbitrary component using the vector data when changing density of each dot in the page description language data, thereby allowing exposure adjustment in a component unit in the page description language data.
As described above, in accordance with the twenty-ninth and thirtieth aspects, as a medium received by the impositioning apparatus, used is not a film in the conventional art but a rasterized file that is digital data composed of one or more RIP files and arrangement information or a page description language file that is digital data composed of page description language data and arrangement information. The digital impositioning apparatus further includes means capable of selecting the rasterized file or the page description language file. Thus, it is possible to suitably use either of the files according to a purpose of offset/exposure adjustment. Therefore, offset/exposure adjustment is further possible on digital data in Plate Making/Printing process, and workers can reliably and quickly perform fine adjustments by numerical value input or instructions without depending on skills and experiences. This allows labor savings in Plate Making/Printing process as well as improvement in printing accuracy.
These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.